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 (Santa Clara, Calif., U.S.) has announced the successful completion of its longest piloted flight to date using the company’s composites-intensive Midnight electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Midnight flew approximately 55 miles in 31 minutes at speeds exceeding 126 miles per hour. The flight took place at Archer’s flight test facility in Salinas, California, in front of United Airlines’ CTO, Mike Leskinen, who led United Airlines’ early investment in Archer.

Test flights in the preceding week reached speeds of nearly 150 miles per hour over a variety of patterns. This latest achievement marks another milestone in Archer’s envelope expansion program as the company advances toward Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification in the U.S. and near-term commercialization in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The flight was conducted as a conventional takeoff and landing mission. Four of Archer’s test pilots are now regularly conducting test flights in Midnight, underscoring the program’s continued progress and maturity.

According to Adam Goldstein, Archer’s founder and CEO, “Crossing the 50-mile mark at speed is another clear step toward commercialization that shows the maturity of our program.”

The experimental test pilot for this flight noted that throughout the 30-minute flight, the aircraft performed consistently, with predictable handling. Midnight flight test pilots will continue to expand speed and duration, and test mission profiles that map to early commercial operations.